Trailing Tennessee
Trailing Tennessee
Trailing Tennessee
Top Choice
Winner of:PubWest Book Design Award Trailing Tennessee is a novel about a teen’s journey on the Appalachian Trail. Eli Sutton isn’t your typical runaway. When tragedy befalls his family, he sets out on the Appalachian Trail, determined to follow in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. With forest rangers close on his heels and his supplies running low, Eli soon discovers hiking through the Appalachian Mountains isn’t nearly as forgiving as trekking through the woods behind his home. He fights blisters, hunger, rain, and pain. But worst of all, he faces his own self-doubt and fear. The ghosts of his father and grandfather, and the spirits of the woods lurk in his mind. When Eli joins up with a group of young hikers in Virginia, his goal begins to slip further away. With his obstacles surmounting, there may not be enough trail magic to save him.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 8 - 12
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"Trailing Tennessee" by Cory Wheeler Mimms is a must read for anyone who loved "Hachet" by Gary Paulsen.  This is a story of survival against nature.  The setting for this story is the beautiful yet brutal Appalachian mountains.  Eli is devastated after the sudden loss of his father.

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Trailing Tennessee is wonderful story about a boy who takes up a quest to hike the Appalachian Trail to the tree where his grandfather and father previously carved their names into the trunk. Being in the forest has always intrigued him, but now he is going to hike new territory for what might be a span of weeks. Along the trail, he is not only faced with the challenge of avoiding rangers who are searching for him, but he must also fend off attacks by hostile spirits of the forest. Will he make it to the tree or will he be stopped along the way by rangers or spirits?

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